Gary Ellis was recently appointed president of Utah’s Jacobsen Construction Co. He succeeds Doug Welling in that role as part of the firm’s ongoing succession plan.
Welling, who became president of Jacobsen in 2006 and chief executive officer in 2012, will continue serving as CEO. Ellis, formerly Jacobsen’s executive vice president of business development and sales, assumed the role of president on June 1. He has been with the company for 19 years in various leadership roles, including several years as chief financial officer.
ENR senior editor Mark Shaw interviewed Ellis in early July about the firm’s leadership transition and the challenges of managing a construction company during a pandemic. The following interview was edited for space and clarity.